"You can see he is chilling at the front more often than not": Lewis Hamilton on Max Verstappen's dominant F1 season
About Abu Dhabi GP
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been serving as the grand finale of the Formula 1 season for quite some time now. Held annually on the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, the Hermann Tilke-designed circuit has a length of 5.281 km (or 3.281 miles). This Grand Prix was introduced to the F1 calendar in 2009 and has been held ever since. It has been part of 14 Formula 1 seasons with the fastest lap record of 1:26:103, set by Max Verstappen in 2021.
The race consists of 58 laps and has two DRS detection zones. The track followed its initial design from 2009 to 2020 but was shortened from 5.5 km to 5.28 km for the upcoming seasons, 2021 onwards. This Grand Prix has been marking the end of a Formula 1 season and will continue to do so, until at least 2030.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix History
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been a staple in the Formula 1 calendar since its debut in 2009. It became the final race of the Formula 1 season in 2009, replacing the Brazil Grand Prix, and has continued to be the ultimate race ever since. The first ever Abu Dhabi GP was won by Sebastian Vettel in 2009 and the latest race winner of the track is Max Verstappen who has won the last three races at the circuit (2020, 2021, and 2022). The most successful driver on the circuit is Lewis Hamilton with five race wins.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 Schedule
The Grand Prix will take place from 24th November to 26th November. The schedule of the race weekend is as follows:
Date
Session
Time (in GMT)
24th November
Free Practice 1
9:30 am
24th November
Free Practice 2
1:00 pm
25th November
Free Practice 3
10:30 am
25th November
Qualifying
2:00 pm
26th November
Feature Race
1:00 pm
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 Venue
The Grand Prix takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Yas Island, which is located east of Abu Dhabi. This track was part of the plan to develop Yas Island in 2006 and was completed in October 2009, just ahead of the first-ever Grand Prix to be held there.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 Driver’s Standing
After the penultimate race in Las Vegas, the top three positions in the driver’s standings had been fixed. Other than that, most of the standings were still up for grabs. The following is the Driver Standings of the drivers after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:
Standings
Driver
Constructors
Points
1
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
575
2
Sergio Pérez
Red Bull
285
3
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
234
4
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
206
5
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
206
6
Lando Norris
McLaren
205
7
Carlos Sainz
Ferrari
200
8
George Russell
Mercedes
175
9
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
97
10
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
74
11
Pierre Gasly
Alpine
62
12
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
58
13
Alexander Albon
Williams
27
14
Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri
13
15
Valtteri Bottas
Alfa Romeo
10
16
Nico Hülkenberg
Haas
9
17
Daniel Ricciardo
AlphaTauri
6
18
Zhou Guanyu
Alfa Romeo
6
19
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
3
21
Logan Sargeant
Williams
1
Drivers with the most wins on the Yas Marina Circuit
Since the debut of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009, the driver with the most race wins on the track is Lewis Hamilton, who has won here 5 times. This includes race wins in the following years: 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019.
The second place with the most wins is taken by Max Verstappen with 4 race wins. Third place is occupied by Sebastian Vettel who has three race wins. Vettel won the debut race on the track in 2009 as well as in the years 2010 and 2013. In the case of Verstappen, he has won the last four GPs held here in the years, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 podiums
The following are the podium finishers during the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:
Max Verstappen (26 points)
Charles Leclerc (18 points)
George Russell (15 points)
Fastest Lap: Max Verstappen
Where to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023
The feature race can be watched live in the following places as follows:
Location
Where to watch
Timing
USA
ESPN, ABC, F1TV
26th Nov, 8 am (EST)
Australia
Fox Sports, Network Ten, F1TV, Foxtel
27th Nov, 12:00 am (AEDT)
India
F1TV
26th Nov, 6:30 pm (IST)
United Kingdom
Sky Sports, C4, F1TV
26th Nov, 1 pm (GMT)
FAQs
A. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place on the Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
A. Yes, fans can take tours of the Yas Marina Circuit.
A. The Abu Dhabi Government owns Yas Marina Circuit where the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held.
A. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is from 24th November to 26th November 2023.